List of musical genres
Music has been an important part of the culture of The Land ever since the planet was first created. It's unclear when musicians first began to differentiate styles of music, but it is known that most musical genres on the Land are similar to those of other worlds, most commonly Earth. The following is a far from complete list of genres which are now or have at any point been played on the Land. Arabesque A term for any music which is similar to that of various Arabic countries on Earth, particularly Turkey. It was first played on the land in the mid-second century. Instruments commonly associated with Arabesque include bağlamas, zurnas, tablas, bodhráns, and jembes. A popular Arabesque band is The Really Far East. Caribbean The Landian term "Caribbean" refers to a sea on Earth, but here it is used to describe a composite style of music which originated in various areas bordering or not far from that sea. The Terran genre most commonly associated with Landian Caribbean music is "Calypso," though it may be fused with genres such as "Sikuri," "Mambo," "Ska," "Reggae," and others. Instruments commonly associated with Caribbean include steelpan drums, siku pan-pipes, trumpets, marimbas, and mandolins. Caribbean music was first played on the Land in Frinn, around 365, and enjoyed about a decade of popularity throughout the East Isles. However, it fell out of fashion, and was rarely if ever played again (at least professionally) until the founding of Ristar in 850, where it has remained popular ever since. Classical The term "Classical" is taken from a Terran genre of music, which includes several subgenres, and was developed over a period of several centuries, on Earth. On the Land, the term is used more specifically for styles which came in the later centuries of Earth's different "classical" periods: Baroque, Classical, and Romantic (the classical period should not be confused with the classical genre in general). Classical music is typically played by a large orchestra, as opposed to the smaller bands of most other genres. In fact, orchestras are divided into sections: percussion (including instruments such as tenor, bass, timpani), string (cello, dulcimer, harp, violin), and wind (fife, zurna, Frinn horn, trumpet, hautbas). Of course, any number of other instruments may also be used. Aside from size of the group, another significant difference between classical and other genres is that it is almost always purely instrumental. The first orchestra on the Land was formed in Frinn in 801, the year after the invention of the Frinn horn. Current orchestras include the Royal Orchestra and the Woodstockade Philharmonic. Envy A Landian term coined in the mid-second century, it's derived from the initials NV. The genre was first introduced by a spirit-talker and instrument-maker who also was the first Landian to create various instruments that originated in certain countries of the Terran continent Asia. He lumped various Asian musical genres (such as Nanguan, Sizhu, Guangdong, Gagaku, Taiko, Min'yo, etc.) together under a single heading. He believed the various styles all sounded very much like Nature itself, the mood of which could range from serene to frantic, so he dubbed the over-genre "Nature's Vicissitudes." Most people who heard of it shortened that to NV, and over time it was altered to "Envy," in part because people were envious of the fact that it was surely done better on Earth than it could ever be on the Land. The biggest reason they thought this was that Envy music was entirely instrumental, because no one on the Land could speak (or sing) any Asian languages. (Some attempts were made, using the subword sense, but everyone agreed it couldn't possibly be as good as it would be by native-speakers of the languages.) Instruments commonly associated with Envy include taikos, yunluos, erhus, gaohus, kotos, sanxians, dizis, ocarinas, and shakuhachis. A popular Envy band is The Really Far East. Folk music This is a broad term, which is known to be even broader on Earth than it is on the Land. Here, it is generally used to refer to any musical traditions which originated chiefly in the first century, before Landians began giving any real thought to "genres" of music. It tends to be more simplistic than other genres, relying heavily on vocals and some of the earliest instruments created on the Land. These may include bodhráns, jembes, lutes, lyres, fifes, and ocarinas. However, as new instruments have been introduced over the centuries, some have been used to produce music which is referred to as "folk," whenever a musician may not know a name for a specific genre. It's unknown if any variety of Landian folk music closely corresponds to any variety of Terran folk music, in spite of the fact that the instruments used are based on Terran instruments. New wave This is known to be a term used on Earth for a musical genre which is somewhat more specific than the term's usage on the Land, though the genre (or genres) it denotes there would be considered part of the larger category it denotes here. On the Land, it refers to any of various styles of music which began to rise in popularity in the early 910s, though such styles were probably first appeared up to a few years prior to that. The most common "new wave" genre on the Land would be called "rock & roll" or simply "rock" on Earth, but the term can also refer to such diverse genres as "punk," "swing," "jazz," "hip-hop," "metal," "country," and possibly others. The term came to be used as a catch-all name for a modern, if nonspecific, sound, after first being used by various music journalists to describe a wave of new artists experimenting with non-traditional music, and only later was applied to the music itself. It's unclear who first coined the term on the Land, or when, but it's most often attributed to either Lisa Donemore (who used it in one of her newspaper articles in 913), or Soren Pinegrove (whom she may or may not have heard the term from sometime prior to writing the article). However, there are those who claim to have heard the term at least as early as 912. Instruments commonly associated with New Wave include drum kits, majitars, and trumpets, though virtually any instrument may be used. Some popular new wave bands include Black Radly, The Cephalopods, and various others. Renaissance The term "Renaissance" refers to a period in Terran history, and to the music from that era. On the Land, it refers to any of various styles which were common not only in the Renaissance era, but some from the earlier Medieval era and the later Baroque era (so this genre can cross over somewhat with "classical"). Renaissance may include chants, madrigals, ayres, ballades, chansons, and other styles. Instruments commonly associated with Renaissance music include fifes, bodhráns, lutes, mandolins, dulcimers, harps, lyres, and ocarinas (often used in lieu of recorders, which don't exist on the Land). Renaissance music has been consistently popular on the Land since the early second century through the present. A popular Renaissance band (until 912) was The Band. See also *Musical instruments *Terran culture *cultural appropriation Category:Culture